Hostile Ground

by Cara Carnes

  “You know nothing.”

  “I know your father was injured in an IED blast three years ago and you’ve assumed control of his work while he recovers. I’ve done what I could to keep that from being common knowledge—both for you and him. Few of those you work with would do so if they knew you’re more than an errand girl.”

  “You threaten me?” The woman punched Kristof’s wounded shoulder.

  Pain flashed across his face. Addy moved to intervene, but he braced a hand across her body and shook his head.

  “Fatima is an old friend. She won’t harm me.”

  Right. Old friend. “She already has. Don’t touch him again. He’s injured, someone tried to kill him.”

  “What?” The woman’s eyes widened. “Who? Tell me!”

  “It’s being handled,” Kristof said.

  The woman crossed her arms. “I apologize. I won’t unleash the fires on you. You’re okay?”

  “I’m fine. You should curtail that threat, Fatima. The more you use it, the weaker it becomes.” Kristof shifted in his seat and rubbed his injured shoulder. “Tell me what you know about whoever has your father.”

  Addy let the conversation between the two continue and focused on the chatter in the com about the mission. Yesim and his men were taken down without incident and the missiles were en route to the secured location at a small airport outside Moscow.

  “Incoming!” Nolan shouted. “We’re under attack. Repeat, we are under attack.”

  Fuck.

  Only Addy’s team remained at the auction location to handle Yesim and his crew, which meant there were three Arsenal teams protecting the missiles. Who the hell was hitting them? Was Fatima a distraction? Was she involved?

  “I don’t know anything else,” Fatima said.

  Addy scrambled over Kristof and pinned Fatima to the rear of the seat by her throat. She straddled her and glared down into wide, frightened brown eyes. “The cargo truck was just hit by someone. Tell us who and what the fuck you have to do with it, or I’ll show you my fires of hell. Trust me, mine are way worse than anything you could ever dream of.”

  “Addy,” Kristof warned.

  “Don’t. She wormed her way into this car with her sob story about needing the missiles, then we’re suddenly attacked. I’m getting answers.”

  “It’s not me. Kristof, please. You know me.”

  “We need to know who these men are that have your father. I can’t help you unless you help us.” He made the statement, but didn’t insert himself into the physical altercation.

  “Get her phone number. We can try and trace the calls,” Mary said in the com.

  “Your phone number. What is it?”

  The woman rattled off a number. Addy eased the pressure off her throat but held her pinned into place. Gunfire and explosions sounded in the com amongst curt orders and curses. Helplessness filled her. She should’ve been there to help.

  “You’d better pray to whatever God you worship that you aren’t involved,” Addy growled.

  A hiss sounded in the vehicle. Smoke spread within the confined space.

  “Shit!” Kristof grabbed Addy. He banged on the glass divider separating their area from the driver’s. “Don’t breathe.”

  “We’re under attack,” Addy said. “Gas in the vehicle.”

  Her eyes burned. Her lungs ached. Lightheadedness assailed her as she tried the window controls. Nothing. Damn. Damn. Damn.

  Then blackness.

  11

  Kristof came to and blinked in confusion. Pain ran down his arm and across his torso. He shifted, then froze as chains rattled with the movement.

  The car.

  Mildew grew on the stone walls around him. Water dripped in the distance. Pale lighting from wall sconces bathed the area in enough light for him to see Addy and Fatima on the other side of the small area.

  Manacles locked his ankles together. The same restraints were on his wrists and a thicker metal band was around his throat. All of them were locked to chains mounted into the wall.

  Anger rolled through him as he studied Addy’s unmoving form across the way. She’d likely inhaled more of the gas used against them than he or Fatima had. Either that or…

  “You’re awake!” Fatima screamed. She crawled awkwardly toward him on her elbows and knees but didn’t make it all the way when the chains reached their stopping point.

  Damn.

  He was stripped bare except for his boxer shorts. Both Fatima and Addy were in bras and panties. Rage consumed him. If they hurt Addy…

  How had this happened? Where were they?

  “Fatima, go to Addy. There was an earpiece in her ear. See if it’s still there.”

  “Kristof, I’m scared.”

  “Do it,” he ordered in an angered whisper. “Quickly. We likely don’t have much time.”

  “Okay. Okay.” The woman crawled toward Addy. Fortunately, the two women were closer to one another than he was to either of them.

  Fatima gently brushed Addy’s long blonde hair aside, then turned her head. “I have it!”

  “Good. Bring it to me. Quickly.”

  She shimmied his direction in the awkward elbow and knee crawl she’d used earlier as he did the same for the limited distance his shorter chains allowed. Whoever had chained them had made a dire mistake—they’d assumed he was the biggest threat of the three.

  He hoped they’d soon learn the err of that judgment.

  Wake, Addy.

  Fatima tossed the small device. He caught it and put it in his ear.

  “Kristof,” a woman said immediately. “This is Edge.”

  Relief filled him. The Arsenal knew they were taken. They’d be found. Addy would be okay. “The missiles?”

  “Secure. For now.”

  Good. “Addy hasn’t woken yet. I don’t know where we are.”

  “We have a general location, a two-mile radius with no structures from what we’re seeing on satellite images. We aren’t getting any heat signatures,” Edge said. “You’re one hundred and twelve kilometers from where you were taken an hour ago. We have a team nearby, but it’ll take time for them to find an exact location.”

  “Okay. I’ll stall them. Whoever this is.”

  “We suspected your father but I’m leaning more toward Mandrake at this point. Did your father have access to RPGs or choppers mounted with weaponry?”

  “RPGs, yes. I’ve never seen military choppers, but he has extensive connections who do. Former military personnel.” Kristof forced a deep breath as pain ran along his shoulder. “Why isn’t she waking?”

  “She will soon enough. If there’s any chance for you two to escape, take it. Do not wait for us. We will find you.”

  Escape. Okay. He’d figure out a way. “Metal restraints on our ankles and wrists. Locked together and on a stone wall. Underground. Mildew. Near a water source. It’s running down the wall to my right.”

  “Okay, that helps. You have two choices for that ear com you’re wearing. You can’t let them find it. You either swallow it now or give it to Fatima to hide. She’s either not a party to this or already knows it exists because you told her.”

  Kristof noted the woman’s censure for his actions but remained silent. Fatima was a lot of things, but she was not a betrayer. “Fatima, come. Take this and hide it. Do not let them see it when they come. If you fear they will, swallow it. Okay?”

  The woman nodded.

  “I’ll keep Addy safe,” he promised Edge.

  “Keep yourself safe. She can handle herself once she’s awake. We’ll be listening as long as that com is active, so the more information you get, the better it’ll be.”

  “Okay.” Kristof pulled the com out and tossed it to Fatima, who tucked it into a pocket within the underside of her bra.

  God help whoever underestimated the women trapped with Kristof. He chuckled and leaned his head against the wall behind him and shifted his gaze to Addy.

  “If someone enters pretend to still be out,” he sa
id. Fatima’s eyes widened but she nodded. “Someone will come and rescue us. We just have to hold on until then.”

  “Maybe they’ll let us pay a ransom.”

  That was doubtful. Kristof tightened when he heard footsteps nearby. The door squeaked open. Three men clad in black outfits entered. One pocketed a set of keys. The more information he got about who had taken them, the better. The Arsenal was still listening on the ear com Fatima had hidden.

  “Where are we? Who are you?” Kristof asked.

  Pain exploded along his cheek as the first man punched him. “We ask the questions. You’ll answer if you want to live.”

  The fake Russian accent jarred Kristof, but he made no comment as he tugged on the chains locking him into place. The second and third guards unlatched him from the wall and hauled him to his feet. Breath escaped his lungs when they each slammed fists into his stomach before slamming him against the wall.

  The chains rattled as he kicked out and tried to free himself from the three men. Legs shackled together and arms outstretched over his head, Kristof realized escape right now wasn’t going to happen. He’d either need help or patience. They’d relax their guard soon enough.

  Or so he hoped.

  “Who did you buy the missiles for?”

  “A client. An anonymous one.”

  The first man gripped Kristof’s throat and squeezed. “Give me a name.”

  “I don’t have one,” Kristof wheezed. The grip loosened. “Most of my business is conducted on the Dark Web. Names aren’t necessary.”

  “Bullshit,” the man growled, his Russian as bad as before. “There’d be a money trail. Give us that info.”

  “Nothing I conduct on the Dark Web is traceable. That’s why it exists.” Zoey had traced the Dark Web. The Arsenal could chase any transaction they wanted, but he didn’t know of anyone else who’d succeeded. It was one of the reasons he’d secretly relied so heavily on them the past few months.

  “Where are the missiles? Who helped you secure them tonight? Those weren’t your men.”

  “I didn’t hire them. The buyer informed me he’d have an armed escort there. I know nothing else,” Kristof lied.

  “I was hoping you’d be stubborn,” the man said as he stepped away and walked into the corner of the room.

  Kristof’s pulse quickened when he spotted the metal cart the man wheeled closer. It’d been years since he’d endured physical torture, but he recognized the instruments set out easily enough. Tension filled his body as the man returned with a knife.

  “The human body can endure more pain than the mind,” the man said.

  Kristof fought the amusement rising in him. Either the bastard hadn’t ever done this before, or he’d watched way too many movies. The man sliced shallow cuts along Kristof’s torso. Pain thrummed within him, but he didn’t scream or respond.

  “You’ll want to give me answers before the interrogator gets here. You won’t like him.”

  “You won’t live long enough to regret the decisions you made tonight,” Kristof said. “Who do you work for?”

  “I ask the questions,” the man growled. He stabbed the knife into Kristof’s left side. “Where are the missiles?”

  “I don’t know.” Kristof winced. His breath quickened. “Cut me up all you want, but I can’t give you an answer I don’t have. All I did was buy the missiles. I don’t even know what they are. Do you?”

  “Where are they? Where’s the money?”

  “What money?” Kristof asked.

  “The money you sent for the missiles. It’s gone.” The man gripped Kristof’s chin and pressed the knife against his throat. “That wasn’t a smart move.”

  Kristof laughed. “You think I am that stupid? First, I wouldn’t know how to do it. Second, I have no reason to. It’d ruin my reputation. It wasn’t me.”

  “No one else could’ve done it.”

  “I have many enemies. Many wanted those missiles. Even more want money.” Kristof fought the man’s grip as the knife nicked his throat. “Let me go and I’ll help you find out who did it. I have connections that can help.”

  “Did they do this for you?”

  “No.” Kristof swallowed and tracked the man’s gaze as he returned to the cart. “Let me make a call. I’ll get the answers you want, but I need to make some calls.”

  “Who is the buyer? How do we contact him?”

  “Through the Dark Web.” Could Zoey track the bastard if he pinged her contact? “Payment came from a third party, one known to help mediate transactions.”

  “That’s what you are.”

  “This one’s a financial broker. They handle the monetary exchanges to ensure no one reneges on a deal. They might know who the buyer was. I swear I never knew.”

  The three men took turns beating on him. Anger kept him awake, alert to his surroundings. He couldn’t pass out and keep Addy safe. If she woke…

  No.

  “Enough,” the first man said as he backed up. The two men followed suit. “Tell us where the money is. Where were you taking the missiles?”

  “I don’t know. The security team he hired didn’t tell me. My part was done. Look, I’ll find out for you. Just let me contact the financial broker the guy used. Even if she doesn’t know who hired you, she can get the money back. She might even know who the security team hired was. Please. I don’t want to die. Let me get the answers I don’t have.” Kristof coughed and wheezed. He spat blood from his mouth where it formed thanks to a busted lip.

  The man pulled out a phone. “We will call her. If this is a trick, we’ll kill the women.”

  “We need a computer. I don’t have a number. I don’t even have a name. All I have is an email address. If I ever need to speak with her, I send an email there with the number of the phone I’m using. She calls from an untraceable number.”

  “What is it?” The man grabbed Kristof’s hair and pulled. “Tell me!”

  Kristof rattled off the email address he’d used to send data to Zoey before they’d met months ago. If she’d discontinued it… No. She was listening. The Arsenal would use this to find them.

  The man’s gaze narrowed as he keyed something into his phone. The other two men paced the area. Kristof kept his gaze on Fatima, who remained unmoving.

  “Why aren’t they waking?” The third man walked toward Fatima. “He’s awake but they aren’t.”

  “They’re smaller. They’ll wake soon. Then we can have some fun,” the second man said as he chuckled.

  The first man’s phone rang. He put it on speaker and grabbed Kristof’s head.

  “Kristof. You shouldn’t contact me. The transaction is complete,” a woman said. Zoey. Relief filled him when he heard the woman’s voice.

  “The money was stolen en route. Something went wrong.”

  “That’s impossible.” Anger filled the woman’s voice. “Where are you?”

  “That doesn’t matter. Get that money back,” Kristof growled as he glared at the man holding his head. “Now.”

  “Dammit! I tell these idiots all the time to use only a specific type of account in one of a few banks. Do they ever listen? No.”

  “Enough! Can you get it back or not?” Kristof asked, his voice low with the rage rolling through him.

  “Of course, but with a minor inconvenience fee to cover their stupidity,” the woman said.

  “Get it now or he dies,” the first man said into the phone.

  “I don’t care if he dies,” Zoey said. “But I have the funds retrieved. A Chinese hacking ring has been hitting transactions that aren’t secured properly on both ends. I’ll send the money again, but I’ll need another account. The first one’s not safe.”

  The man cursed. “Call back in five minutes.”

  “Sure.” The woman hung up.

  Kristof crumbled within his chains when the three men left the room. He hoped to hell that worked. Fatima peeked an eye open and looked up at him from where she remained unmoving.

  “Kristof.” />
  “Don’t,” he warned. “Put the com in while you have a chance. Tell me what they’re saying, if anything.”

  Fatima plucked the com out and put it into her ear. Kristof held his breath. Had he done the right thing? “They have our position narrowed down because of the call. She says she’ll stall them when she calls back and to hang on.”

  Right. Relieved that the call had helped, Kristof closed his eyes.

  “Okay. Okay. Okay.” He opened his eyes as Fatima removed the com and returned it to its hiding spot, then got back into the passed-out position.

  The door squeaked open a few minutes later as the phone rang once again. The man answered and barked out a series of letters followed by a long string of numbers.

  “Okay. Stay connected and I’ll get this sent now. I’ll need you to verify that you got the funds this time. I’m not screwing around with this again.” Silence descended a couple minutes. “Next time do as I say on your end or my fee will be double what it usually is. I don’t deal with stupid.”

  The first man cursed and paced. Red rose in his face.

  Unease filled Kristof. Now that they had the money, would he kill Kristof, Addy, and Fatima?

  No. He still needed the missiles.

  “Okay, it should be there,” Zoey said. “Check.”

  “I’ll check later.”

  “You’ll check now. If it mysteriously vanishes again, I won’t help you get it back.”

  “Bitch!” The man punched at the screen and looked at a scrap of paper he held. He punched something into the screen and glared. “It’s there. Who was the security?”

  “Excuse me?” Zoey’s voice on the speaker rose.

  “For the missiles. Who was hired for the security?”

  “That’s the buyer’s business, not yours.”

  “Tell me or he dies!”

  “I thought I was pretty clear earlier. I don’t give a damn if he dies.” Silence settled a moment. “But I can be persuaded to help you…for a fee.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I’m removing fifty-thousand for a fee. You’ve wasted enough of my time,” Zoey said. She sighed heavily. “Let’s see. A secondary transfer was sent from the same account used for the purchase. The receiver was… Hmm… I don’t have a name on the account. It’s a heavily protected Dark Web account. Apparently they do listen to what I say.”